--exclude="..." appear not working in bisync

[hildogjr]

The associated forum post URL from https://forum.rclone.org

What is the problem you are having with rclone?

I have used rclone sync %1 %2 --exclude="*.od[tsp]#" --exclude="**/__pycache__/**" across more than one machine for some time and having no issue.

Now that bisync became stable, I start to try rclone bisync %1 %2 --exclude="*.od[tsp]#" --exclude="**/__pycache__/**" to sync the folder through this machines. But the "/pycache/" subfolder are created every time than I run rclone.

What is your rclone version (output from rclone version)

rclone v1.71.0
- os/version: ubuntu 22.04 (64 bit)
- os/kernel: 6.8.0-83-generic (x86_64)
- os/type: linux
- os/arch: amd64
- go/version: go1.25.0
- go/linking: static
- go/tags: none

Which OS you are using and how many bits (e.g. Windows 7, 64 bit)

Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 24.04

Which cloud storage system are you using? (e.g. Google Drive)

Google Drive

The command you were trying to run (e.g. rclone copy /tmp remote:tmp)

Running for the first synchronization:
/usr/bin/rclone bisync --resync --verbose --progress --stats 500ms --stats-one-line --retries 30 --low-level-retries 10 --transfers 7 --checkers 12 --contimeout 600s --exclude="*.od[tsp]#" --exclude="**/__pycache__/**" --drive-use-trash --drive-acknowledge-abuse --remove-empty-dirs --drive-chunk-size=64M --checkers=4

A log from the command with the -vv flag (e.g. output from rclone -vv copy /tmp remote:tmp)

First bidirectional synchronization @ 18/09/2025_17:11:08...
2025/09/18 17:11:09 INFO  : Setting --ignore-listing-checksum as neither --checksum nor --compare checksum are set.
2025/09/18 17:11:09 INFO  : Bisyncing with Comparison Settings: 
{
	"Modtime": true,
	"Size": true,
	"Checksum": false,
	"HashType1": 0,
	"HashType2": 0,
	"NoSlowHash": false,
	"SlowHashSyncOnly": false,
	"SlowHashDetected": true,
	"DownloadHash": false
}
2025/09/18 17:11:09 INFO  : Synching Path1 "/home/h/Documentos/Unesp-SJBV/" with Path2 "Unesp{QplIB}:Unesp-SJBV/"
2025/09/18 17:11:09 INFO  : Copying Path2 files to Path1
2025/09/18 17:11:09 INFO  : - Path2    Resync is copying files to         - Path1
2025/09/18 17:23:50 INFO  : There was nothing to transfer
2025/09/18 17:23:50 INFO  : - Path1    Resync is copying files to         - Path2
2025/09/18 17:25:38 INFO  : Disciplinas graduação/Eletrônica de potência (telecom)/Laboratório: Set directory modification time (using SetModTime)
2025/09/18 17:25:58 INFO  : Software/Faturas PDF/database/__pycache__/db_defs.cpython-310.pyc: Copied (new)
2025/09/18 17:26:00 INFO  : Software/Faturas PDF/database/__pycache__/defs_general.cpython-310.pyc: Copied (new)
...

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[nielash]

I tried to reproduce this just now but was not able to. Are you sure that --exclude="**/__pycache__/**" was included for the run you posted the above log from?

Does the same thing happen if you try bisyncing two local directories (taking your Unesp{QplIB}: Google Drive out of the equation)?

Would it be possible to post a debug log with --dump filters?

[hildogjr]

I had closed because it seemed solver but I reproduced it now. Although I don't know exactly how. I had logged --dump filters and the filters seemed correctly generated.

But after a consecutive rclone bisync with the command /usr/bin/rclone bisync --verbose --progress --stats 500ms --stats-one-line --retries 30 --low-level-retries 10 --transfers 7 --checkers 12 --contimeout 600s --exclude="*.od[tsp]#" --exclude="**/__pycache__/**" --drive-use-trash --drive-acknowledge-abuse --remove-empty-dirs --drive-chunk-size=64M --checkers=4 /home/h/Documentos/Unesp-SJBV Unesp:Unesp-SJBV

I get the log of __pycache__ copy.

2025/09/24 17:52:30 INFO  : Setting --ignore-listing-checksum as neither --checksum nor --compare checksum are set.
2025/09/24 17:52:30 INFO  : Bisyncing with Comparison Settings: 
{
	"Modtime": true,
	"Size": true,
	"Checksum": false,
	"HashType1": 0,
	"HashType2": 0,
	"NoSlowHash": false,
	"SlowHashSyncOnly": false,
	"SlowHashDetected": true,
	"DownloadHash": false
}
2025/09/24 17:52:30 INFO  : Synching Path1 "/home/h/Documentos/Unesp-SJBV/" with Path2 "Unesp{QplIB}:Unesp-SJBV/"
2025/09/24 17:52:30 INFO  : Building Path1 and Path2 listings
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : Path1 checking for diffs
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File changed: size (smaller), time (newer) - Orientações/TCC/center pivot irrigation - power analysis.ipynb
.......
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/__pycache__/data_utils.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/__pycache__/format_output.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/__pycache__/lattes_analysis.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/__pycache__/lattes_data_def.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/__pycache__/lattes_utils.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/__pycache__/low_process.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/__pycache__/webbrowser_selenium.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/__pycache__/xlsx_utils.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/__pycache__/xmltodict.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/selenium_recaptcha_solver/__pycache__/__init__.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : - Path1    File is new               - Software/Índices Lattes/src/selenium_recaptcha_solver/__pycache__/services.cpython-310.pyc
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : Path1:   31 changes:   29 new,    2 modified,    0 deleted
2025/09/24 18:03:01 INFO  : (Modified:    2 newer,    0 older,    1 larger,    1 smaller)

I will try to make a always reproducible example.

[hildogjr]

Curiosity: what means "{QplIB}" in my remote name?

[nielash]

I will try to make a always reproducible example.

That would be very helpful, thanks. Your log above doesn't show the command or debug info, so it doesn't tell us much.

Curiosity: what means "{QplIB}" in my remote name?

It means your remote is overridden with a command-line flag like --drive-acknowledge-abuse. If you set these in the config file instead, the suffix should go away.

By the way, while --exclude should work, the better way to filter with bisync is with a --filters-file. This is because you shouldn't change filters from run to run without a --resync, and --filters-file has protections in place to abort the run early if it detects this. It can potentially save you from data loss.

For example, your filters file could just be:

- *.od[tsp]# 
- **/__pycache__/**
+ /*
+ **

Then you just add --filters-file /path/to/your/file.txt to the command. Make sure to --resync --dry-run the first time you use it.

[hildogjr]

I had used a bash script to run rclone with my personal configs, so keeping the same --exclude always (even the parameters order).

I ran the followed command for a first sync test:

/usr/bin/rclone bisync --verbose --progress --stats 500ms --stats-one-line --retries 30 --low-level-retries 10 --transfers 7 --checkers 12 --contimeout 600s --exclude="*.od[tsp]#" --exclude="**/__pycache__/**" --drive-use-trash --drive-acknowledge-abuse --remove-empty-dirs --drive-chunk-size=64M --checkers=4 --resync /home/h/Documents/Unesp-SJBV Unesp:Unesp-SJBV --dump filters

The log file (striped some information parts is attached). See that there was copy of __pycache__ folders (before run, they was present into the remote/cloud but not into the local disk).

Unesp-SJBV.log